Fresh Notes on the Crater Linne. 217 



immortal Humboldt, who, in his Kosmos, places together in 

 their order, Lohrmann, Madler, Julius Schmidt, for their 

 instructive arid original labours upon the moon (for example, 

 in vol. iv., pp. 614 and 615) and who constantly took interest 

 in, and recognized with pleasure the value of the results of the 

 labours of the latter." 



" Our readers will peruse with interest the following 



Eemaeks on the above by W. E. Birt, F.R.A.S. 



" One of the most important features in the above sketch 

 of hypotheses is that of the mud-volcano being the terrestrial 

 analogue of the phenomenon recently observed on the Mare 

 Serenitatis. As Dr. Schmidt very justly remarks, the appear- 

 ance presented by Linne receive an explanation on this view. 

 In the very interesting paper on the mud- volcanoes and salt lakes 

 in the Crimea, by Professor Ansted (Intellectual Observer, 

 vol, viii., p. 409) it is recorded — the well-known naturalist, 

 Pallas, being the authority — that in the year 1794, on the 27th 

 of February, from the cone near the delta of the river Kuban, 

 large quantities of mud were thrown out, accompanied by 

 flame, which continued half an hour, and rose to a height of 

 150 feet above the ground. The height of the cone was 250 

 feet. The mud thus thrown out is said to have spread over 

 the plain, but the rapid eruption was soon over. Twenty years 

 afterwards, Engelhardt mentioned two craters, each about 50 

 feet in diameter. At present, after a further interval of more 

 than fifty years, the vent is nearly closed up, although the cone 

 rises at least 250 feet above the plain of the delta, and possesses 

 a crater of a very distinct form. 



" It is highly probable that the eruption in Linne was sudden, 

 and, taking into consideration the size and depth of the crater, 

 a very considerable quantity of matter must have been injected 

 from below. In my former remarks on the phenomenon (In- 

 tellectual Observer, vol. x., p. 444), I suggested that the crater 

 itself had been concealed, but it appears from Dr. Schmidt's, 

 as well as from the English observations, that the crater is not 

 only actually filled, but that a hill of nearly 2000 English feet 

 in diameter, and about 40 feet high, exists where a deep cavity 

 was formerly seen. 



" The fine black point and white summit are interesting, and 

 are features which should be most assiduously watched, 

 especially by means of large apertures. Mr. Webb (see In- 

 tellectual Observer, vol. x., p. 442) records the discovery of a 

 minute pit on the summit of a mountain north of Aristotelis. 

 Of the recent formation of the hill — we may now say — on Linne, 



